map of the Ivory Coast [ Africa ]
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its political capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country; while its largest city and economic centre is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south. Its official language is French, but local indigenous languages are also widely used, including Bété, Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo. In total, there are around 78 different languages spoken in Ivory Coast. The country has large populations of the adherents of Christianity, Islam and various indigenous religions.Before its colonization by Europeans, Ivory Coast was home to several states, including Gyaaman, the Kong Empire and Baoulé. The area became a protectorate of France in 1843 and was consolidated as a French colony in 1893 amid the European scramble for Africa. It achieved independence in 1960, led by Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who ruled the country until 1993. Relatively stable by regional standards, Ivory Coast established close political economic ties with its West African neighbours while maintaining close relations with the West, especially France. Its stability was diminished by a coup d'état in 1999, then two civil wars—first between 2002 and 2007 and again during 2010–2011. It adopted a new constitution in 2000.
Ivory Coast is a republic with strong executive power vested in its president. Through the production of coffee and cocoa, it was an economic powerhouse in West Africa during the 1960s and 1970s, then experienced an economic crisis in the 1980s, contributing to a period of political and social turmoil. It was not until around 2014 that its gross domestic product again reached the level of its peak in the 1970s. In 2020, Ivory Coast was the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans and had high levels of income for its region. In the 21st century, the Ivorian economy has been largely market-based; it still relies heavily on agriculture, with smallholder cash-crop production predominating mapa de Costa de Marfil Africa , Cote d Ivorie Ivory Coast is a country of western sub-Saharan Africa. It borders Liberia and Guinea in the west, Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, Ghana in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) in the south. The country lies between latitudes 4° and 11°N, and longitudes 2° and 9°W. Around 64.8% of the land is agricultural land; arable land amounted to 9.1%, permanent pasture 41.5%, and permanent crops 14.2%. Water pollution is one of the biggest issues that the country is currently facing.
Administrative divisions
Main articles: Subdivisions of Ivory Coast, Districts of Ivory Coast, Regions of Ivory Coast, Departments of Ivory Coast, and Sub-prefectures of Ivory Coast
Districts of Ivory Coast
Since 2011, Ivory Coast has been administratively organised into 12 districts plus two district-level autonomous cities. The districts are divided into 31 regions; the regions are divided into 108 departments; and the departments are divided into 510 sub-prefectures. In some instances, multiple villages are organised into communes. The autonomous districts are not divided into regions, but they do contain departments, sub-prefectures, and communes.
Since 2011, governors for the 12 non-autonomous districts have not been appointed. As a result, these districts have not yet begun to function as governmental entities.
The following is the list of districts, district capitals and each district's regions:
1 Abidjan
(District Autonome d'Abidjan)
2 Bas-Sassandra
(District du Bas-Sassandra) San-Pédro Gbôklé Sassandra
Nawa Soubré
San-Pédro San-Pédro
3 Comoé
(District du Comoé) Abengourou Indénié-Djuablin Abengourou
Sud-Comoé Aboisso
4 Denguélé
(District du Denguélé) Odienné Folon Minignan
Kabadougou Odienné
5 Gôh-Djiboua
(District du Gôh-Djiboua) Gagnoa Gôh Gagnoa
Lôh-Djiboua Divo
6 Lacs
(District des Lacs) Dimbokro Bélier Region Yamoussoukro
Iffou Daoukro
Moronou Bongouanou
N'Zi Dimbokro 247,578
7 Lagunes
(District des Lagunes) Dabou Agnéby-Tiassa Agboville
Grands-Ponts Dabou
La Mé Adzopé
8 Montagnes
(District des Montagnes) Man Cavally Guiglo
Guémon Duékoué
Tonkpi Man
9 Sassandra-Marahoué
(District du Sassandra-Marahoué) Daloa Haut-Sassandra Daloa 1,430,960
Marahoué Bouaflé 862,344
10 Savanes
(District des Savanes) Korhogo Bagoué Boundiali 375,687
Poro Korhogo 763,852
Tchologo Ferkessédougou 467,958
11 Vallée du Bandama
(District de la Vallée du Bandama) Bouaké Gbêkê Bouaké 1,010,849
Hambol Katiola 429,977
12 Woroba
(District du Woroba) Séguéla Béré Mankono 389,758
Bafing Touba 183,047
Worodougou Séguéla 272,334
13 Yamoussoukro
(District Autonome du Yamoussoukro) 355,573
14 Zanzan
(District du Zanzan) Bondoukou Bounkani Bouna 267,167
Gontougo Bondoukou